• The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA), an industry body focused on promoting the advancement of responsible AI in South Africa, has dragged LinkedIn to the Information Regulator of South Africa over the use of data to train AI Models for the LinkedIn Platform without prior consent.

• Making the submission to the Regulator, the body argues that LinkedIn’s practices could violate local data protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

The POPIA is a piece of legislation that safeguards the personal data of individuals in South Africa by outlining requirements and obligations for entities that collect, process, and use that information.

Nathan-Ross Adams, a member of the SAAIA Advisory Board and head of regulatory affairs, stated that the complaint to the Information Regulator focuses on LinkedIn’s use of South African users’ personal information to train its generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. 

Adams highlighted that the use of the data does not meet the conditions for lawful processing under Chapter 3 of POPIA and that their conduct likely constitutes interference with personal information as outlined in section 73 of POPIA. 

He emphasised that, given the significant public interest, it requires investigation from the Information Regulator. 

“This is more than just a legal matter, it’s about protecting the rights of individuals in an age where data is currency. SAAIA’s mission is to ensure that as AI grows more powerful, it also grows more accountable, ” he added. 

Following similar moves by other tech giants such as Meta, LinkedIn is said to be the latest social media company accused of processing data without consent. The platform has come under scrutiny for automatically enrolling users into its generative AI training initiatives without explicit consent. 

Per report, LinkedIn stated on its help page “We may use your personal data to improve, develop, and provide products and Services, develop and train artificial intelligence (AI) models, develop, provide, and personalize our Services, and gain insights with the help of AI, automated systems, and inferences, so that our Services can be more relevant and useful to you and others.” 

It added that users who wish to revoke this permission can do so by navigating to the Data privacy tab in their account settings and toggling off “Data for Generative AI Improvement.

In September 2024, the South Africa’s Information Regulator issued an enforcement notice to Meta’s social platform, WhatsApp. This formal directive requires the messaging app to comply with data protection laws.

The notice follows the regulator’s preliminary report, which found that WhatsApp applies different terms of service and privacy policies for European users compared to those outside Europe, including South African users.